CRATE TRAINING YOUR PUPPY

By Eamon Patrick Riley

Of all the questions received at the Times and Record News pet web page, www. CuteCritters.com, concerning dog training and canine behavior, the most requested is information on house training a new dog. Although many people feel it is cruel to crate a puppy or a dog, many professional dog trainers believe that crate training is by far the easiest and most natural way to house train a new puppy. Dogs, whether domestic or wild, will naturally find a den or safe area to sleep. In the wild, the mother dog keeps the den clean until the pups are old enough to venture outside on their own to defecate or urinate. Puppies learn from their mother that they shouldn't soil their sleeping area. Domestic dogs will display similar behavior. While still in the whelping box, the mother dog will clean up after her pups. As the puppies grow older, they will crawl away from their sleeping area to an area they choose as the potty area and eliminate there. Like their wild counterparts, domestic puppies are innately predisposed to not soil the area where they sleep.

To be successful, a good crate-training program uses positive reinforcement. The crate should be a comfortable and inviting place for the puppy. To accomplish this, the crate can be lined with a soft towel or padding. Also, the pup should want to enter the crate. Luring is fastest way to associate the crate with being good place to go. To lure the puppy into the crate, use small bits of treats such as pieces of hot dog. When the puppy goes into the crate to get the treat and explore the new area, leave the door open to let it come out as it wishes. Continue to use this process until the puppy enters the crate on its own for the treat. Be sure to praise the puppy gently while it is in the crate and associate a word or phrase for going in the crate. Phases such as "kennel up" or “go to your room” work nicely. Use the association word or phase as you are putting the treat into the crate and the puppy is following it in. Repeat this procedure several times to get your puppy accustomed to going into its crate.

The amount of time the puppy spends in the crate is extremely important. Because puppies have poor bladder and bowel control, they should not spend any more than four to five hours in the crate at a time, with the exception of sleeping in the crate during the night. Below is the crate-training schedule I recommend to those who want to use this friendly method of potty training:

8:00 AM – Take the puppy out of its crate and outside to potty. It is important that you remain with the puppy. If you go inside, the pup might be more concerned with following you instead of defecating. Also, it is very important that you praise the pup for going to the bathroom in a desirable location. Allow the puppy to play for a few minutes. If there is no fence around your yard, be sure to put a leash on the puppy so it can not run away. Bring the puppy back inside, give its breakfast, and crate. After each feeding, you should take the puppy back outside to potty.

12:00 PM - It is time to take the puppy back outside. If the puppy begins to play, ignore the play behavior. If the puppy attempts to engage you in play, stand still with your arms folded across your chest. Don’t try to sweet talk the puppy into going potty. Although most dog owners would disagree with me, dogs don’t understand spoken language. If you attempt to sweet talk to the puppy, the pup could mistake the tone of your voice with approval. Praise only when the pup completes the task at hand. Again the pup should be allowed a few minutes of playtime and then brought back inside and fed. After feeding, take the pup back outside to provide the opportunity to potty again. Then bring the pup back inside and place in its crate.

5:00 PM – Follow the same procedure as the 12 o’clock routine. The only difference is that you may allow the puppy to remain outside of its crate for two to three hours. Constantly supervise the puppy to ensure that it does not potty inside the house. If you can not supervise the pup, place it in a small playpen. These can be purchased at a local pet store or through a pet supply catalogue.

8:00 PM – Take the pup outside to go potty. When it is brought back inside, give it its last meal of the day. A young puppy should be given at least four meals a day until it is four to five months of age. As the puppy grows, the number of meals is decreased and the amount of food is increased for each meal. After this feeding, take the puppy outside before it is returned to its crate.

11:00 PM – This should be the last venture outside for potty for the day. Allow very little playtime during this outing so that the puppy will not expect to be played with during this late hour. Then return the pup to its crate for the night. If the puppy whines or barks to be let out, ignore the behavior. Soon the puppy will learn that its complaining will not be rewarded, and it will soon stop and go to sleep.

Follow this schedule for seven to 10 days. After this time period, reward the pup with more time outside of its crate. If you have to leave the puppy alone for any length of time, it should be placed in its crate. It will learn that the crate is its safe place to den while its master is away.

There are a few precautions that you should heed when using crate training.

Ø Never crate a dog with a choke collar on as dogs can choke themselves to death. It's probably a good idea to remove any collar while the dog is in the crate.

Ø If you are going to place a chew toy inside the crate, use safe toys only, nothing the dog or puppy can tear apart and choke on while you're not there. Squeaky toys need to be monitored because the squeakers can be removed and swallowed.

Ø Do not leave unsupervised pups with rawhide chews bones since they can easily choke on them.

Puppies that are properly potty trained make better pets that all family members can enjoy and are more likely to be kept permanently by their original owners. By using positive and consistent training methods, a new dog owner will find that training is not only effective but rewarding as well. Crate training a new puppy will give it a good start in its new “forever” home. Remember, good dog training is not expensive…it is priceless.

Copyright © 2002, Eamon Patrick Riley. Dogmanusmc@aol.com. All rights reserved. Mr. Riley is a certified Master Trainer and associated with The Dog Man Training Company. He is also a member of the Association of Canine Behavior Counselors, Association of Pet Dog Trainers #5843, and the Animal Behavioral Society.

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